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Slow down and enjoy your journey

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

I'm a traveler, I've always been. Living far from home in a foreign country means I sleep with my hand-luggage under my bed. My strong yet fancy luggage, always half-done and always ready for the next flight, the next adventure.

What I discovered during my last visit at home was the beauty I was surrounded with. A beauty I never realized was there. I was born and raised in Italy, the bright, loud, beautiful country- the Bel Paese of art, stunning landscapes and cuisine. And somehow something I always underestimated was then suddenly so bolt and strong to my eyes.

This made me question why have I been so negligent, why I didn't take advantage of it all when I could.

I am still trying to answer. But something I understood during by never-ending travels from one country to another is that the chaos and rush our minds live in, our routines and habits and the stress from our job keep us from discovering the real world. Stuck in this everyday circle, we seek success and wealth in the wrong places, putting job and stability on a higher level than what it should matter the most.

When I first came to Biarritz, where I moved to be closer to the ocean, I could even feel the waves breaking in front of my little house and the salty breeze saluting me in the morning.

After a while I got a new job, new habits, some friends and suddenly I forgot the reasons that led me here first, finding myself stuck in the routine limbo.

My mind was busy with everyday duties and responsibilities when I got in the water, the tide was always too low or too high, no more sparkles and excitement while running to the beach after a long day at the office - just a tiny little smile when the waves were good enough for my personal entertainment.

But now I'm understanding we are not made for this.

We are humans – we have the privilege to be here, to feel the ground under our feet. We are lucky enough to enjoy the beauty around us, to see it, to touch it, to surf it.

Forget the way home after work and get lost in unknown neighborhoods. Take time for a midnight walk on the beach. Surf with seagulls when the sun is yet to rise. Take pictures of the autumn leaves and have the courage of smiling to a stranger. Rise up your eyes to the sky and play with the clouds like in a childhood game.

I want to do it all and even more.

Career and material wealth are not the way for that successful life we dream of.

We don't have to let the goals we set in your life distract us from the journey we are living.

Slow down and enjoy every moment of your life travel – this is the real richness.